The 27-year-old endurance athlete, from Worthing, West Sussex, crossed the finish line in Tunisia yesterday afternoon and planned to celebrate with a party - as well as a strawberry daiquiri - having raised more than £600,000 for charity.
His achievement - he is believed to be the first person to have run tip to tip from the south to the north of Africa - was the more extraordinary for several setbacks, including a robbery at gunpoint in Angola, being held by men with machetes in the Republic of the Congo, health scares and visa complications.
He set off from South Africa's most southerly point, Cape Agulhas, on 22 April 2023, and by the time he crossed the line at Tunisia's most northerly point, Ras Angela, he had run the distance of about 376 marathons.
Cook was accompanied on the final leg by supporters who had flown out after following his odyssey on social media, where his posts amassed millions of views.
He finished to cheers of "Geezer, Geezer!" and took a well-deserved dip in the sea, telling Sky News: "I'm a little bit tired." On the eve of the final leg, Cook told Sky News: "It's quite hard to put into words, 352 days on the road, long time without seeing my family, my girlfriend... My body is in a lot of pain, but one more day - I'm not about to complain."
Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin April 08, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin April 08, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
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